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I  GRAND  ARCADE  \ 
f      OF  THE  4 
CATHEDRAL 
OF 

COMMERCE 


lEx  HtbrtH 


SEYMOUR  DURST 


When  you  leave,  please  leave  this  hook 

Because  it  has  heen  said 
" Sver'thing  comes  t'  him  who  waits 

Except  a  loaned  hook." 


Avery  Architectural  and  Fine  Arts  Library 
Gift  of  Seymour  B.  Durst  Old  York  Library 


[PAGE  FOUR] 


FOREWORD 


S.  PARKES  CADMAN,  D.  D.,  S.T.  D.,  L.  H.  D. 


HE  man  who  proposes  and  the  architect  who  designs 
a  truly  great  building  confer  a  lasting  favor  on  the 
race  at  large.  Our  indebtedness  to  those  who  con- 
structed the  Parthenon,  the  Coliseum  at  Rome,  St. 
Peter's  Cathedral  in  that  city,  St.  Paul's  in  London, 
St.  Mark's  inVenice  and  the  pure  Gothic  of  St.  Chapelle  and  Notre 
Dame  in  Paris,  is  utterly  beyond  ordinary  methods  of  computa- 
tion. These  monuments  of  rare  beauty,  devotion  and  civic  pride 
far  outlast  other  achievements  of  their  respective  periods.  Their 
true  value  is  not  in  stone  nor  in  gold  but  in  the  spiritual  aspira- 
tions which  they  embodied  and  expressed.  Brute  material  has 
been  robbed  of  its  density  and  flung  into  the  sky  to  challenge  its 
loveliness. 

Just  as  religion  monopolized  art  and  architecture  during  the 
Medieval  epoch,  so  commerce  has  engrossed  the  United  States 
since  1 865.  The  close  of  the  Civil  War  released  the  pent-up  powers 
of  a  young  nation,  occupying  a  virgin  soil,  with  the  consequences 
we  now  witness.  Multitudes  flocked  to  our  shores,  trade  increased 
by  leaps  and  bounds,  railways  linked  East  and  West  in  a  conti- 
nental expanse,  cities  throve  apace.  Out  of  the  struggles  of  this 
process,  not  without  its  pulsive  and  sordid  features,  have  been 
developed  gratifying  benefits.  The  prairies  of  Illinois,  Indiana, 
Iowa  and  the  Dakotas  have  become  the  granaries  of  the  earth. 
The  mineral  treasures  of  Pennsylvania,  Georgia  and  the  States 
located  among  the  foothills  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  have  been 
mined  and  placed  at  the  disposal  of  nations.  These  and  many 
other  enrichments  of  human  life  and  intercourse  received  their 


[PAGE  FIVE] 


visible  tokens  in  the  steady  advancement  of  general  prosperity 
and  welfare.  Their  metropolitan  and  financial  centers  were  found 
in  New  York.  Here,  on  the  Island  of  Manhattan,  and  at  its  south- 
erly extremity,  stands  a  succession  of  buildings  without  precedent 
or  peer.  The  vision  of  their  grandiose  effect  from  the  Brooklyn 
Bridge  at  dusk,  when  the  gathering  darkness  softens  their  bold 
outlines,  and  every  one  of  the  numberless  windows  coruscates 
with  radiance,  is  beyond  the  brush  of  Turner  to  paint  or  the 
eloquence  of  Ruskin  to  describe.  It  outvies  imagination  in  its 
most  fertile  moments.  Of  these  buildings  theWoolworth  is  Queen, 
acknowledged  as  premier  by  all  lovers  of  the  city  and  the  com- 
monwealth, by  critics  from  near  and  far,  by  those  who  aspire 
tow^ard  perfection,  and  by  those  who  use  visible  things  to  attain 
it.  When  seen  at  nightfall  bathed  in  electric  light  as  with  a  gar- 
ment, or  in  the  lucid  air  of  a  summer  morning,  piercing  space  like 
a  battlement  of  the  paradise  of  God  which  St.  John  beheld,  it 
inspires  feelings  too  deep  even  for  tears.  The  writer  looked  upon 
it  and  at  once  cried  out,  "The  Cathedral  of  Commerce" — the 
chosen  habitation  of  that  spirit  in  man  which,  through  means  of 
change  and  barter,  binds  alien  people  into  unity  and  peace,  and 
reduces  the  hazards  of  war  and  bloodshed.  Such  is  its  testimony 
due  to  Frank  W.  Woolworth,  whose  magnitude  of  mind  origina- 
ted the  scheme,  and  to  Cass  Gilbert,  whose  genius  executed  it  to 
the  last  detail.  To  these  men,  America  pays  a  lasting  tribute,  and 
their  accomplishment  will  remain  at  the  heart  of  the  world  of 
trade,  a  lofty  example  of  the  best  possibilities  in  human  nature, 
even  when  engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits. 


I  PAGE  SIX  ] 


THE  CATHEDRAL 
OF  COMMERCE 


EDWIN  A.  COCHRAN 


N  the  night  of  April  24,  19 13,  President  Wilson  pressed  a  tiny 
button  in  the  White  House  and  80,000  brilliant  lights  instantly 
flashed  throughout  the  Woolworth  Building.  The  event  marked 
the  completion,  the  dedication  and  the  formal  opening  of  that 
regal  edifice,  the  tallest  and  most  beautiful  building  in  all  the 
world  erected  to  commerce,  so  judged  by  the  ofhcials  of  the  Panama-Pacific 
Exposition  when  they  placed  their  seal  of  approval  upon  it  and  awarded  it 
a  gold  medal.  1 1  was  a  memorable  night.  A  profusion  of  light  filled  the  twenty- 
seventh  floor,  which  had  been  arranged  for  a  superb  banquet.  And  assembled 
there,  was  a  great  host  of  statesmen,  captains  of  industry,  merchants,  journal- 
ists, scholars,  poets — all  representative  Americans,  proud  to  break  bread  with, 
and  honor  the  man  who  had  realized  his  dream  and  the  gallant  aides  who 
tirelessly  had  labored  with  him  to  accomplish  the  stupendous  task,  the  up- 
building of  a  monument  to  small  things. 

Yes,  as  a  commercial  institution  the  Woolworth  Building  is  preeminent. 
W' ithin  its  walls  are  housed  great  banking  institutions,  the  executive  and  clerical 
staffs  of  giant  industries,  the  New  York  representatives  of  America's  big 
business  enterprises  and  a  great  many  leaders  in  the  professions.  Its  tenants, 
with  their  employees,  number  12,000  people — the  population  of  a  city — and 
only  tenants  of  the  highest  standard  are  accepted.  The  Building  could  have 
been  filled  twice  over  had  not  Mr.  Woolworth  been  so  strict  about  the  responsi- 
bility and  personal  integrity  of  every  lessee.  Altogether,  these  tenants  rank 
among  our  country's  most  prosperous,  most  progressive  and  most  reputable 
business  and  professional  men. 

Doctor  Cadman,  the  noted  divine,  has  called  this  Building  "The  Cathedral 
of  Commerce,"  a  term  which  fittingly  describes  it.  It  stands  in  magnificent 
splendor,  a  masterpiece  of  art  and  architecture,  a  Glorious  W^hole,  quite  beyond 
the  power  of  human  imagination.  The  true  Gothic  lines  and  tracery  of  the 
exterior  are  extremely  impressive,  and  the  proportions  have  been  executed 
with  such  studious  care  and  fidelity  to  detail  that  its  enormous  height  is  not 
realized  from  the  street;  yet  it  is  by  far  the  tallest  building  in  the  world,  rising 
792  feet  I  inch  above  the  sidewalk,  its  summit  piercing  the  heavens.  The 
recessive  Tower,  gradually  diminishing  from  base  to  pinnacle  and  appearing 


[  PAGE  SE\'EX  ] 


always  in  new  lights  and  colors,  forms  a  fascinating  picture  from  every  view- 
point, as  it  stands  silhouetted  against  the  sky. 

Its  location,  too,  is  of  supreme  importance.  It  is  in  the  very  heart  of  things 
— the  civic  center  of  the  world's  great  metropolis,  in  the  midst  of  all  transpor- 
tation lines.  It  faces  upon  three  streets  and  has  nine  entrances,  including  two 
direct  communications  with  the  subway  system.  It  is  within  a  stone's  throw 
of  City  Hall,  the  Municipal  Building,  Brooklyn  Bridge,  the  Post  Office  and 
Courts,  as  well  as  close  by  the  great  financial  and  banking  center.  No  building 
could  command  a  better  location  or  one  more  advantageous  to  its  tenants. 

From  the  Observation  Gallery,  fifty-eight  stories  above  the  street,  the 
view  is  marvelous,  and  the  thrilling  sensation  which  comes  over  the  sight- 
seer is  never  to  be  forgotten.  It  is  indeed  the  most  remarkable  if  not  the  most 
wonderful  view  in  all  the  world.  The  scenic  and  color  effects,  with  the  sun 
shining  on  the  multi-colored  buildings  around  it,  but  far  below,  and  on  the 
water  and  land  for  twenty-five  miles  in  every  direction,  make  a  landscape 
impossible  of  adequate  description.  The  vast  area  spread  out  before  the 
visitor's  eye  is  inhabited  by  more  than  8,000,000  souls.  To  the  north  lies 
the  great  City,  with  the  Hudson  River  and  the  lordly  Highlands  beyond. 
To  the  east  are  Long  Island  and  the  mighty  Atlantic  Ocean,  with  its  ships 
passing  to  and  fro  far  distant  on  the  horizon  where  sky  and  water  seem  to 
meet.  To  the  south  are  the  great  Harbor  of  New  York,  the  Narrows  through 
which  pass  all  ships  entering  and  leaving  the  Port  of  New  York,  Governor's 
Island,  the  Statue  of  Liberty,  and  Staten  Island  in  the  distance.  To  the  west 
again  is  seen  the  Hudson  River  and  the  great  expanses  of  meadow-land  and 
mountainous  country  embracing  Eastern  New  Jersey.  Looking  downward,  the 
multitudes  of  people  scurrying  about  the  busy  streets  in  close  proximity  to 
the  Woolworth  Building  resemble  an  aggregation  of  pygmies — a  crowd  seen 
through  the  large  end  of  a  telescope.  The  view  is  bewildering.  Every  year 
upwards  of  100,000  visitors  from  all  parts  of  the  world  come  here  and  the 
Register  shows  that  these  good  people  represent  more  than  sixty  different 
countries  and  thousands  of  cities. 

Another  marvel  of  this  Building  is  the  exterior  illumination  of  its  Tower 
by  night,  extending  from  the  thirty-first  to  the  sixtieth  story,  a  distance  of 
nearly  400  feet.  TheTower  is  illuminated  by  a  gigantic  flood  of  light  directed  u  pon 
it  from  specially  designed  nitrogen  lamps  of  great  candle-power  set  in  mirrored 
glass  reflectors  to  give  maximum  reflective  value.  Nearly  20,000,000  candle- 
power  of  light  is  thus  transmitted  to  the  ornamental  terra-cotta  of  the  whole 
Tower,  making  it  stand  out  boldly  and  majestically  like  a  shaft  of  glistening 
alabaster  against  the  blackness  of  the  night.  The  color  effects  are  brilliantly 
wonderful.  The  light,  soft  and  mellow  at  its  base,  gradually  increases  in  in- 
tensity as  it  reaches  upward  and,  at  the  very  top,  the  pinnacle,  an  immense 
ball  of  fire  appears,  giving  the  effect  of  a  gorgeous  jewel  resplendent  in  its 
setting  of  rich  gold.  This  light  may  be  seen  by  mariners  forty  miles  at  sea. 
The  varied  colors  of  terra-cotta  and  the  superb  lines  and  tracery,  abounding 
in  the  outer  walls  of  the  Tower,  are  brought  out  in  simple  elegance  by  this 


[  I'AGE  EIGHT] 


[PAGE  NINE] 


dazzling  illumination,  which  is  acknowledged  to  be  the  greatest  triumph  in 
flood-lighting  ever  achieved. 

The  wonders  of  the  Woolworth  Building  are  not  confined  to  its  exterior, 
for  within  will  be  found  a  wealth  of  things  intensely  interesting,  and  first  among 
these  should  be  mentioned  the  grand  corridor  with  its  tall,  perfect  lines  rising 
and  sweeping  into  graceful  curves  and  arches.  The  marble,  with  its  warm, 
golden,  evenly  matched  colors  of  varied  hues  forming  the  corridor  walls,  was 
quarried  on  the  Isle  of  Skyros  off  the  coast  of  Greece,  from  the  choicest  of 
costly  marbles  obtainable  there.  It  is  richly  carved  in  pure  Gothic  design,  and 
blends  perfectly  with  the  magnificently  decorated  dome-ceiling.  This  ceiling 
is  a  masterpiece  of  glass  mosaic,  and  its  rare  beauty  is  accentuated  by  the 
soft  glow  of  artificial  light  concealed  behind  the  lace-like  marble  cornice  at 
the  springing  of  the  arches.  It  suggests  a  flood  of  dazzling  jewels  glittering 
in  the  sunlight — emeralds,  rubies,  sapphires,  diamonds — a  riot  of  harmonious 
colors,  all  spread  out  in  golden  settings,  and  arranged  in  exquisite  designs. 
The  whole  efi"ect  is  one  of  grandeur  with  which  the  corridor  of  no  other  building 
in  the  world  may  be  compared;  and  it  is,  indeed,  an  appropriate  entrance  to 
this  regal  structure,  "The  Cathedral  of  Commerce." 

In  the  sub-basement  is  located  the  power  plant  which  generates  the 
electricity  needed  to  operate  the  elevators  and  to  furnish  light  and  ventilation 
for  the  entire  Building.  This  plant  is  complete  in  its  make-up,  and  the  four 
mighty  engines  and  dynamos,  operating  day  and  night — never  idle  from  one 
year  to  another — are  wondrous  pieces  of  machinery,  the  most  efficient  known 
to  engineering  science.  The  plant  has  a  total  capacity  of  1,500  kilowatts,  and 
consists  of  two  500  kilowatt  units,  one  300  kilowatt  unit,  and  one  200  kilowatt 
unit.  These  units  are  of  varying  size,  so  as  to  afford  maximum  operating 
economy,  according  to  the  varying  electrical  load  at  different  hours  of  the 
day.  The  engines  are  of  the  tandem-compound  low-speed  Corliss  type,  mo\'ing 
at  one  hundred  revolutions  per  minute,  and  are  capable  of  generating  sufficient 
power  to  operate  an  electric  street  railway  or  supply  electric  light  for  a  city 
of  50,000  inhabitants.  The  Engine  Room  itself  is  especially  attractive  with 
walls  and  floor  of  white  tile  and  ceiling  of  white  enamel,  always  spotless  in 
appearance.  Here,  too,  will  be  found  an  elaborate  ventilating  plant  made 
up  of  sixteen  large  motors  with  fresh  air  and  exhaust  ducts,  designed  to  furnish 
a  complete  change  of  air  in  the  three  stories  underground  and  the  first  four 
above  four  times  in  every  hour.  The  air  is  drawn  down  from  outside  the 
Building  above  the  fifth  floor,  passed  through  fine  sieves  and  then  through  a 
curtain  of  constantly  running  water,  where  it  is  cleansed  and  afterwards 
distributed  to  the  tenants  free  of  impurity.  During  summer  months,  this 
air  is  cooled  to  a  proper  temperature  by  refrigeration,  and  in  winter  it  is 
warmed  by  passing  through  heated  pipes.  A  water  filtration  plant  and  a 
refrigerating  plant  also  form  part  of  the  vast  mechanical  equipment  required 
for  the  exacting  needs  of  the  Building's  tenants. 

The  boiler  plant  consists  of  six  mammoth  boilers  having  a  total  capacity 
of  about  2,500  horse-power.  These  boilers  are  operated  at  high  pressure  and 


[PAGE  TEN 


[PAGE  ELEVEN] 


except  during  a  few  weeks  of  unusually  cold  weather  in  mid-winter  the  entire 
Building  is  heated  by  exhaust  steam  from  the  engines  and  pumps.  Some 
idea  may  be  formed  of  the  enormous  cjuantity  of  coal  consumed  by  these 
boilers  from  the  fact  that  the  Building's  coal  bunkers  contain  over  2,000  tons 
of  coal,  which  is  replaced  as  used  by  cargo  shipments  direct  from  the  anthra- 
cite fields  of  Pennsylvania.  An  immense  Swimming  Pool  and  Turkish  Bath 
establishment,  open  clay  and  night,  is  also  located  in  the  sub-basement,  and 
here  will  be  found  every  modern  device  making  for  comfort,  safety  and  sanita- 
tion. 

The  Woolworth  Building  Safe  Deposit  Co,  has  its  vaults  in  the  basement. 
This,  too,  is  a  thoroughly  up-to-date  institution,  where  courteous,  efficient 
attendants  show  hundreds  of  persons  to  their  strong  boxes  every  business 
day.  No  expense  has  been  spared  to  make  it  a  safe  place  for  the  keeping  of 
valuables.  Another  interesting  place  in  the  basement  is  the  beautiful  restaurant 
called  "The  Postkeller" — one  of  the  City's  show-places.  The  food  and  service 
here  are  of  the  very  best,  and  it  is  noted  for  its  cleanliness.  There  is  also  a 
large,  finely  equipped  Barber  Shop  in  the  basement  where  the  appointments 
are  unexcelled  and  the  service  first  class  in  every  particular. 

The  Irving  National  Bank  and  the  Broadway  Trust  Company,  nationally 
known  institutions,  occupy  spacious  quarters  on  one  of  the  main  floors,  and 
provide  every  modern  banking  facility  for  the  convenience  of  customers.  In  the 
Irving  National  Bank  each  department  is  as  convenient  to  the  customer  as  the 
single  window  in  the  smallest  country  bank.  The  final  humanizing  touch  has 
been  given  to  the  Tellers'  Department:  Each  teller  both  pays  and  receives,  so 
that  customers  always  transact  business  with  the  same  teller  whether  depositing 
or  withdrawing  funds.  Personal  contact  between  the  customers  and  officers  is 
encouraged  by  the  special  design  of  the  Bank's  quarters;  all  officers  are  within 
easy  reach.  The  Broadway  Trust  Company  conducts  its  business  along  similar 
lines,  personal  service  being  dominant  in  both  institutions. 

Perhaps  the  most  difficult  problem  in  a  structure  as  tall  as  the  Woolworth 
Building  is  the  question  of  elevators.  The  Building's  success  depends  largely 
upon  the  adequacy,  safety  and  regularity  of  the  elevator  service.  The 
architectural  design  of  the  Building,  together  with  the  peculiarities  and 
difficulties  of  its  structural  steelwork,  to  a  very  great  extent  govern  the 
number,  arrangement  and  grouping  of  elevators.  This  important  feature  has 
been  carefully  studied,  and  as  a  result,  twenty-nine  high-speed  electric 
traction  elevators  afford  excellent  service  throughout  the  twenty-four  hours 
of  each  day,  every  day  in  the  year,  Sundays  and  holidays  included.  These 
elevators  travel  on  a  headway  of  twenty-five  to  thirty-five  seconds  during 
business  hours,  which  means  that  a  car  is  available  to  carry  passengers  up  or 
down  from  any  floor  about  every  half-minute,  and  this  service  is  faithfully 
maintained.  In  order  to  get  tenants,  their  employees  and  clients  to  and  from 
the  offices  with  the  least  possible  delay,  many  of  the  elevators  are  operated 
at  a  speed  greater  than  that  maintained  in  any  other  building,  yet  they  travel 
so  smoothly  and  noiselessly  that  their  movements  are  scarcely  observed. 


[  PAGE  T\\"EL\  E 


[PAGE  THIRTEEN  ] 


The  two  elevators,  which  operate  from  the  ground  to  the  fifty-fourth  floor, 
rise  700  feet  in  one  minute,  and  these  are  the  highest-rise  and  fastest-travchng 
elevators  in  the  world.  Although  elevator  service  is  provided  in  the  Eiffel 
Tower,  Paris,  to  a  height  of  nearly  1,000  feet,  three  cars  must  be  used  to 
reach  the  top,  the  highest  rise  of  a  single  one  being  about  450  feet. 

On  account  of  the  complex  elevator  problem  and  the  high  speed  at  which 
service  is  maintained,  together  with  the  fact  that  nearly  30,000  people  daily 
travel  upon  these  elevators  (more  than  9,000,000  a  year),  particular  attention 
was  given  to  the  matter  of  safety  devices.  The  more  important  of  these  are  the 
under-car  safety  operated  by  a  governor  placed  overhead;  oil  buffers  placed 
under  each  car  and  counterweight;  retarding  and  latching  device  at  the  top  of 
each  shaftway;  limit  switches  at  the  bottom  and  top  of  travel;  speed  governor 
and  potential  switches  operated  by  governor;  switch  attached  to  safety  plank  on 
the  under-car  safety;  emergency  wheel  and  safety  switch  inside  the  car  itself. 
Besides  these,  the  gearless  traction  elevator  has  the  great  inherent  safety  feature 
because,  if  either  the  car  or  counterweight  over-travels,  the  tractive  force  is 
lost,  owing  to  the  weight  of  the  car  or  counterweight  being  removed  from  the 
hoisting  cables.  There  are  also  many  electrical  safety  devices  which  form  a 
part  of  the  controlling  equipment  safeguarding  the  operation  of  these  elevators. 

Two  additional  features  of  great  importance  among  the  safety  devices 
are  the  emergency  exit  doors  and  the  interlocking  devices  on  the  shaftway 
doors.  The  emergency  exit  doors  are  so  constructed  that,  in  the  event  of  an 
elevator  being  accidentally  held  between  floors,  passengers  may  be  transferred 
to  an  adjoining  elevator  and  carried  safely  to  their  destinations  without  delay 
or  confusion.  The  interlocking  device  on  the  shaftway  doors  effectively 
overcomes  one  of  the  common  causes  of  elevator  accidents,  namely,  those 
which  occur  as  passengers  enter  or  alight  from  elevators.  These  accidents 
may  usually  be  charged  to  the  carelessness  of  the  operator  in  opening  the 
shaftway  door  before  the  elevator  reaches  a  full  stop  or  starting  the  elevator 
before  the  door  is  fully  closed.  In  this  Building,  elevators  cannot  be  so  operated 
because  the  interlocking  device  absolutely  prevents  an  elevator  from  moving 
until  the  shaftway  doors  are  fully  closed. 

Besides  the  regular  safety  devices  enumerated  above,  Mr.  Woolworth 
ordered  air  cushions  for  all  elevators.  These  consist  of  a  heavy  steel  structure 
enclosing  each  elevator  shaft  separately  with  reinforced  concrete  placed  be- 
tween I  beams.  In  addition,  the  interior  of  the  shafts  is  lined  with  heavy 
steel  plates,  and  as  a  car  enters  the  air-cushion  zone  and  approaches  the 
bottom  of  travel  the  air  pressure  underneath  increases.  Therefore  if  all  safety 
devices  failed  to  operate  and  the  car  dropped,  the  air  would  be  so  rapidly 
compressed  that  it  would  not  have  time  to  escape  through  the  automatic 
valves  or  through  the  clearance  space  around  the  elevator;  hence,  the  speed 
of  the  latter  would  be  retarded  and  the  car  brought  gradually  to  rest  at  the 
base  of  its  shaftway  without  injury  or  shock  to  passengers  within.  To  deter- 
mine the  utility  of  the  air  cushions,  a  test  was  made  by  loading  an  elevator 
with  7,000  pounds  of  material  and  dropping  it  from  the  forty-fifth  floor  with 


[  I'AGE  FOURTEEN  1 


J 


THE 


WOOLWORTH  I 
BUILDING  M 
BY  DAY  f 


all  safety  devices  and  cables  removed.  When  this  elevator  reached  bottom, 
its  load  was  unharmed;  the  vibration  being  so  slight  that  even  a  glass  of 
water,  which  it  carried,  remained  intact. 

Daily  inspections  are  made  by  the  Building's  maintenance  force,  not  only 
of  this  apparatus  but  of  everything  else  affecting  the  safety,  comfort  and 
welfare  of  tenants  and  the  general  public.  To  show  the  extreme  caution  of 
these  inspectors,  a  remarkable  test  was  made  in  the  plant  of  John  A.  Roebling's 
Sons  Co.  with  a  set  of  six  hoisting  cables  condemned  and  taken  from  an  elevator 
after  three  years  of  active  service.  The  one  most  worn  of  these  cables  was  placed 
upon  a  powerful  testing  machine  to  determine  the  weight  it  would  sustain  before 
pulling  apart.  It  broke  only  after  assuming  a  burden  of  16,600  pounds;  hence 
the  total  carrying  strength  of  the  six  condemned  cables  was  at  least  99,600 
pounds.  As  the  maximum  weight  of  an  elevator  and  its  passengers  is  about 
6,000  pounds,  it  will  be  seen  that  these  cables  were,  by  actual  test,  still  strong 
enough  to  safely  handle  sixteen  times  the  maximum  weight  of  a  loaded  elevator. 

"Safety  first"  and  always  is  the  watchword  in  the  operation  of  this  vertical 
railway  system.  While  the  cars  travel  at  great  speed,  the  maintenance  is  so 
closely  watched  and  cared  for  that  they  move  along  almost  unnoticed — no 
quivering,  no  vibration,  no  sound  whatever,  absolute  smoothness  and  safety. 

Owing  to  the  arrangement  of  the  elevators,  the  severe  service  to  which 
they  are  subjected,  and  the  variations  in  the  height  of  travel,  it  was  necessary 
to  provide  special  means  of  controlling  the  operators  and  the  movement  of 
the  elevators  themselves.  A  Dispatcher  System  was  therefore  devised  and  used 
in  this  Building  for  the  first  time.  This  system  consists  of  a  dispatch  board  and 
a  signal  board  with  electric  flashlights  to  indicate  the  movement  and  location 
of  every  elevator.  The  dispatcher  absolutely  controls  the  elevators  and  is 
prepared,  by  means  of  telephonic  communication,  to  pass  instructions  to  the 
operators  when  necessary,  regardless  of  whether  the  elevators  are  in  motion 
or  at  rest,  so  as  to  correct  immediately  any  irregularities  in  the  service. 
Incidentally,  the  telephone  in  each  elevator,  while  primarily  a  part  of  an 
interior  system  designed  to  bring  about  the  greatest  efificiency  in  operating, 
is  also  connected  with  the  great  Bell  telephone  system  directly  through  the 
Telephone  Company's  central  office,  so  that  one  may  communicate  by  tele- 
phone with  any  part  of  the  United  States  from  a  moving  elevator  in  the 
Woolworth  Building. 

Although  the  Building  is  fire-proof  throughout,  in  so  far  as  engineering 
masters  have  been  able  to  make  it,  and  the  possibility  of  fire  occurring  within 
its  walls  is  extremely  remote,  nevertheless,  every  mechanical  device  has  been 
provided  to  safeguard  the  lives  and  property  of  tenants  should  the  "im- 
possible" occur.  A  fire  could  not  spread  beyond  the  office  in  which  it  broke 
out  because  the  walls  are  of  stone  or  steel,  the  doors,  trim,  etc.,  also  of 
steel,  and  the  glass  of  heavy  plate,  wired.  In  fact,  no  inflammable  material 
of  any  description  was  used  in  the  construction  of  the  Building.  Every  stair- 
way is  an  enclosed  fire-tower,  and  every  elevator  shaft  is  free  from  outside 
influences  such  as  smoke,  fire,  heat  and  gases. 


fPAGE  NINETEEN  ) 


THREE  TOWERS  OF  LOWER  MANHATTAN 
AT  NIGHT 


[  PAGE  TWENTY] 


A  powerful  fire-pump  forms  part  of  the  Building's  thoroughly  complete 
fire-fighting  equipment.  This  pump,  located  in  the  sub-basement,  is  capable 
of  delivering  500  gallons  of  water  per  minute  at  the  fifty-eighth  story  against 
a  head  pressure  of  820  feet,  and  on  account  of  the  protection  thus  afforded 
neighboring  properties,  the  owners  have,  in  some  cases,  been  able  to  secure 
substantial  reductions  in  their  fire  insurance  premiums. 

In  most  buildings  the  inside  or  court  offices  are  usually  quite  dark  and 
undesirable  on  account  of  the  narrowness  of  the  openings  and  the  height  and 
dingy  character  of  their  walls.  Not  so  in  the  Woolworth  Building.  It  has  a 
great,  wide  court — nearly  the  width  of  an  average  city  street,  and,  as  the 
walls  are  of  glazed  white  tile,  much  natural  light  is  reflected  into  the  court 
offices,  making  them  practically  as  choice  as  those  facing  the  streets.  All  offices 
in  the  entire  Building,  without  exception,  are  especially  wide,  light,  and  well 
ventilated,  and  their  appointments  are  of  the  very  best. 

For  the  convenience  of  tenants,  a  completely  equipped  Hospital  Room 
has  been  established  for  female  stenographers,  clerks,  and  others,  where  they 
may  receive  first-aid  treatment  and  simple  remedies  at  the  hands  of  a  compe- 
tent nurse  or  rest  quietly  from  the  mental  or  physical  strain  attendant  upon 
their  work.  Quick  relief  is  thus  afforded  and  sometimes  serious  illness  is 
prevented.  Should  any  case  be  so  serious  as  to  require  the  attendance  of  a 
physician,  one  may  be  had  within  a  few  minutes.  This  room  is  maintained 
as  part  of  the  Building's  general  service  for  which  no  charge  is  made.  Public 
Committee  or  Board  Rooms  are  also  available  for  tenants'  use.  These  rooms 
are  elaborately  appointed,  and  may  be  engaged  for  limited  periods  at  very 
reasonable  rentals. 

The  public  corridors  throughout  are  spacious  and  well  lighted  and 
ventilated.  They  have  flooring  of  polished  marble  terrazo  and  wainscot  of 
selected  Italian  marble  carried  half-way  up  to  the  ceiling.  Directories  on 
every  floor  below  the  Tower  enable  one  to  locate  his  destination  quickly  upon 
alighting  from  the  elevators.  The  toilet  facilities  are  unique  as  regards  the 
number  of  rooms  assigned  for  that  purpose  and  the  elegance  of  their  appoint- 
ments. A  toilet  room  for  ladies  and  one  for  gentlemen  will  be  found  con- 
veniently located  on  practically  every  floor  of  the  entire  Building.  Their 
walls  are  lined  with  white  carrara  glass,  the  costliest,  most  sanitary,  and 
most  attractive  wall  treatment  known  for  this  purpose.  The  ceilings  are  of 
white  enamel,  and  the  floors  of  white  flint  tile.  The  fixtures,  too,  are  the  last 
word  in  modern  design  and  construction.  Without  exception  these  rooms 
are  all  that  the  word  "sanitary"  implies. 

More  than  70,000  pieces  of  mail  are  delivered  to  tenants  of  the  Woolworth 
Building  every  business  day,  and  from  eight  to  ten  letter-carriers  are  required 
to  handle  it.  The  tenants'  outgoing  mail  matter  is  fully  as  voluminous  and 
requires  an  additional  force  of  handlers  to  convey  it  to  the  General  Post  Office. 
Four  huge  letter-boxes  are  placed  in  the  main  corridor,  from  which  twenty- 
seven  collections  are  made  every  twenty-four  hours  on  week  days.  During 
business  hours,  the  collections  take  place  on  an  average  of  every  thirty  minutes, 


[PAGE  TWENTY-OXE] 


[PAGE  TWENTY-TWO] 


[PAGE  TWENTY-THREE] 


LOOKING  NORTH  FROM  THE 
OBSERVATION  GALLERY 


[  PAGE  TWEXTV-FOUR  ] 


[  PAGE  TWENTY-FIVE  ] 


MR.  WOOLWORTH'S  PRIVATE  OFFICE  ON  THE  40TH  FLOOR  SIK  )\VI.\(;  FLEMISH  RENAISSAXC  F  TAPESTRY 
(WOVEN  ABOUT  1650)  AND  ITALIAN  RENAISSANCE  MANTELPIECE  CARVED  IN  STONE 

and,  for  the  convenience  of  tenants,  four  mail  chutes,  connected  with  the  mail 
boxes  mentioned,  serve  every  floor  of  the  Building.  Thus,  a  tenant  on  any  floor 
may  place  his  mail  in  one  of  these  chutes  and  have  it  taken  to  the  Post  Office 
within  half  an  hour  afterward.  Eighteen  hundred  telephones  are  in  service 
throughout  the  Building,  a  greater  number  than  is  used  in  a  city  of  30,000 
inhabitants.  The  average  daily  traffic  is  29,000  calls,  totaling  8,700,000 
messages  per  year. 

Frequently  visitors  to  the  Observation  Gallery  and  others  ask  interesting 
questions  with  regard  to  the  means  which  have  been  devised  to  make  a  building 
of  this  height  entirely  safe  before  the  elements.  As  a  matter  of  general  informa- 
tion it  may  be  said  that,  regardless  of  its  supreme  height,  the  structure  is 
quite  as  safe  as  the  Rock  of  Gibraltar,  and  the  following  facts  will  probably 
be  of  interest  to  those  who  read  them:  The  foundations  for  all  columns  are 
carried  down  to  solid  bed  rock  by  means  of  concrete  piers  sunk  by  the  pneu- 
matic caisson  process,  which  consists  of  sinking  metal  tubes  of  the  size  required 
for  the  finished  piers.  Some  of  these  are  19  feet  in  diameter.  In  sinking  these 
metal  tubes  water  was  encountered  and  the  pneumatic  process  had  to  be 
resorted  to,  consisting  of  closing  up  the  upper  ends  of  the  tubes  by  a  system 
of  air  locks.  The  interiors  were  filled  with  air  under  pressure,  equivalent  to 
the  water  pressure  outside,  and  this  prevented  the  water  from  entering  at 


[  PAGE  TWENTY-SIX  ] 


WEST  SIDF.  OK  MR.  WOOIAVORTH'S  PRIWM  i':  OFI  U  E  ()\  E1<L 

EASTERN  NEW  JERSEY 


|(I1^1X(,  THE  IirOSDX  RU'ER  AND 


the  bottom,  thereby  affording  workmen  access  to  the  exterior  so  as  to  excavate 
and  remove  the  soil.  Upon  reaching  the  soHd  rock  the  tube  was  gradually  filled 
with  concrete,  the  top  removed  and  the  filling  completed,  leaving  solid  concrete 
piers  for  the  steel  columns  of  the  Building  to  rest  upon. 

The  caissons  under  this  Building  average  no  feet  long  below  the  side- 
walk, and  there  are  69  of  these  with  a  combined  length  of  approximately 
5,000  feet,  all  carried  down  to  bed  rock.  The  total  load  on  the  rock  at  the 
base  of  the  caissons  was  assumed  to  be  24  tons  per  sc|uare  foot.  There  is  no 
possibility  of  the  Building  rocking  in  the  slightest  degree,  because  the  dead 
load  on  any  of  the  columns  is  greater  than  the  maximum  uplift  due  to  wind 
pressure  on  the  Building.  The  Building's  weight  above  the  caissons  is  estimated 
to  be  223,000  tons,  including  allowance  for  wind  pressure. 

The  wind  pressure  was  carefully  studied,  and  it  may  be  safely  stated  that 
a  hurricane,  blowing  at  200  miles  per  hour,  would  not  damage  the  framework 
of  this  Building  in  any  way.  Winds  of  such  velocity  are,  of  course,  unknown. 
It  is  also  a  fact  that  no  wind  ever  observed  in  this  latitude  would  have  the 
slightest  effect  upon  the  Building.  At  the  very  top,  where  scientific  observa- 
tions have  been  made,  no  vibration  whatever  was  detected.  The  Tower  is 
braced  to  take  care  of  wind  strains  by  a  system  of  portal  braces  like  those 
used  at  the  ends  of  bridges.   These  braces  occur  in  all  stories,  so  that  wind 


[PAGE  TWENTY-SEVEN] 


[  PAGE  TWENTV-EUJHT  ] 


THE  EMPIRE  ROOM— EXECUTIVE  OFFICE  OF  THE  PRESIDENT  OF 
F.  \V.  WOOLVVORTH  COMPANY 

blowing  at  any  floor  level  is  transmitted  through  the  braces  to  the  floors 
below  successively  until  it  reaches  the  foundation.  This  form  of  bracing  is 
unusual  in  building  construction,  but  it  was  considered  by  far  the  best  solution 
of  the  difficult  engineering  problem  in  hand. 

The  copper  roofs  on  the  Tower  and  on  the  main  building  are  connected 
by  means  of  copper  cables  with  the  Building's  structural  steelwork,  thereby 
grounding  the  structure  and  producing  a  result  similar  to  the  ordinary  lightning 
conductor.  Thus,  the  Building  is  safe  even  during  severe  lightning  storms. 

No  description  of  the  Woolworth  Building  is  complete  without  a  word 
concerning  that  vitally  important  feature  called  SERVICE,  a  feature,  perhaps, 
more  important  than  all  others  to  tenants.  Every  possible  need  of  the  tenant 
is  anticipated  and  cared  for  promptly,  courteously,  efficiently.  The  smooth- 
running  organization,  planned  and  developed  as  it  has  been  along  depart- 
mental lines,  as  in  a  great  railway  system,  has,  for  example,  its  Fire,  Police, 
Cleaning,  Repair  and  Maintenance  Departments,  on  duty  night  and  day, 
always,  each  working  with  rigid  alertness  and  fidelity.  The  Building  contains 
nearly  30  acres  of  floor  space,  yet  this  vast  area  is  cleaned — yes,  and  thoroughly 
— every  single  day,  but  not  during  business  hours  when  such  work  would  dis- 
turb the  tenants.  The  5,000  or  more  windows  throughout  the  Building  are 
cleaned  once  every  week  and  more  often  when  storms  make  it  necessary.  The 


[PAGE  TWENTY-NINE] 


work  of  the  Night  \\'atchmen,  Avho  make  hourly  i^a- 
trols  of  the  entire  Building,  and  of  the  Police  and 
Dctectix  e  Forces,  is  especially  important  to  tenants, 
because  it  insures  the  absolute  security  of  their  prop- 
erty during  closed  hours  and  prevents  interruption  and 
annoyance  during  business  hours,  of  a  kind  commonly 
experienced  in  some  office  buildings. 

Substantially  all  of  the  repair  work — and  this  is 
a  vast  item — is  executed  by  the  Building's  mechanical 
forces,  which  include,  among  others,  the  Electrical, 
Plumbing,  Heating  and  Elevator  Maintenance  De- 
partments, all  operating  coordinately  and  under  well- 
trained  heads.  Even  the  tools  required  to  perform 
special  classes  of  work  are  made  by  the  house  mechan- 
ics, and  the  Building  may  be  said  to  be  self-contained. 
Absolute  cooperation  exists  among  all  departments, 
and,  to  a  man,  the  300  odd  employees  know  how  to 
serve.  They  go  about  their  work  determined  to  sat- 
isfy and  please  every  tenant  from  the  largest  to  the 
smallest  uniformly,  knowing,  as  they  do,  that  upon 
that  altogether  the  success  of  the  great  institution 
depends. 

The  Woolworth  Building  has  been  called  "A 
Cathedral  of  Commerce" — a  monument  to  small 
things,  but  it  is  even  more — it  is  the  colossal  and 
enduring  gift  to  civilization  of  a  true-born,  patriotic 
American,  Frank  W.  Woolworth,  and  it  stands  unique 
in  the  history  of  great  buildings  throughout  the  world 
in  that  it  is  without  a  mortgage  or  dollar  of  indebted- 
ness. Mr.  Woolworth  paid  for  this  gigantic  structure 
from  start  to  finish  from  his  own  resources,  accunm- 
lated  through  his  business  sagacity  in  establishing  an 
entirely  new  line  of  merchandising  through  retail 
stores  handling  only  five  and  ten  cent  goods.  This 
wonderful  enterprise,  starting  from  one  small  store  in 
1879,  has  grown  to  a  $65,000,000  corporation,  oper- 
ating over  1,000  stores  throughout  the  United  States, 
Canada,  and  Great  Britain,  with  combined  sales  ex- 
ceeding $87,000,000  in  1916 — the  largest  retail  busi- 
ness in  the  W'Orld. 

Thus  the  name  Frank  W.  Woolworth  has  been  indelibly  inscribed 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  our  land  and  abroad,  and  the  Woolworth 
Building,  symbolizing,  as  it  truly  does,  the  crowning  achievement  of  a  career 
of  usefulness  toward  mankind,  will  long  herald  the  march  of  progress  down 
through  the  corridors  of  time. 


SfCTYOFTHEIMTERNATIONAl 
AWARD  SYSTEM 

DEP.ARTM.5NT0F 

I^RAl  ARTS 


i  t. 


[  PAC;E  THIRTY] 


